[password] gypseaheart
[position] 32 44.00S 175 00.00E
[weather] Wind 7 knots from the SE, 0.0 meter swell, 60% clouds, 1024 barometric pressure
[speed] 5.5 knots
[heading] 198 T
[status] Lovely sailing day yesterday with wind and waves gradually diminishing. The ocean was as calm as a lake last night reflecting the half moon as it rose. Lots of sun charged the batteries and the flat whites are flowing on board. 163 nm to Opua, NZ. ETA is Thursday afternoon NZ time.
It is unusual to have four days of consistent winds in this part of the world so close to the Southern Ocean. Except for shortening the sails at night, we have hardly adjusted them for four days. We told "Otto", our auto pilot, to keep the apparent wind at 55 degrees and take us wherever it leads. However, due to wind fluctuations during the day, our "bread crumb" track looks like it was made by a drunken sailor (appropriately) and Otto will be given a breath-a-lizer test when we arrive in New Zealand. Otto also has a tendency to interrupt our short wave radio conversations on some frequencies. Luckily, we have "Mini Otto", our back-up auto pilot, as a designated driver on the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, Mini Otto cannot steer according to the wind or even GPS signals, but can only use magnetic waves from near the North Pole to take us where we want to go. In any event, it is better than driving ourselves and Otto and Mini Otto don't eat much, other than battery power.
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